The present invention relates to a task execution support system which can efficiently support the execution of a task by using a computer when more than one user (preferably a plurality of users) execute at least one task.
As a task support system, there has hitherto been known a workflow system. The workflow system is to previously register a task property indicative of task processing object information common to works done by each user in order to execute a task or which is information inherent in each task and a work and a work procedure from the start to the end of the task as task definitions before the user starts the task. The workflow system is an information processing system which supports the following task execution by registering a task definition designated by information indicative of the task from a task entry corresponding to a started task in a one-to-one relation when the task is started in actual practice.
Specifically, to each user, there is displayed a task entry list having works that should be executed by the user from tasks that the workflow system should support. Therefore, the user can avoid such an accident that the user forgets the user's own work. Also, the user can confirm the number of works that have been piled up so far at this time. Moreover, when the user selects a work from the work list, information necessary for the work determined by the task definition is presented to the user, thereby improving the efficiency of the corresponding work.
Moreover, since the task is electronically managed by the above-mentioned framework, a task administrator who periodically confirms the progress of the task need not inquire of each user about the confirmation of the progress of the task. That is, the task administrator can confirm the progress of the task by checking how far the desired task makes a progress on the work procedure of the workflow system or by examining a value of a task property of the task.
The outline of the workflow system is described in "NIKKEI COMPUTER" (published by NIKKEI BUSINESS PUBLICATIONS INC.), 1996, March 4 (No. 686) featuring "CHANGE WORK BY WORKFLOW", pp. 128-142.
The workflow system has a task whose property and work procedure can be determined previously as a target of the task support. Therefore, before the task which becomes the target of the task support is started, it was possible to register the definition of the task including a complete work procedure ranging from the start of the task to the completion of the task.
However, of the tasks, there is a task having a form in which future task property and work procedure are determined based on the results of the work after a part of work on the task was executed since the task has been started. In particular, as a typical example of such task, there is known such a task in which the work contents and the work procedure following the work are planned as one of works in the task.
In the case of such task, since all work procedures are not yet decided at the time the task is started, the task definition of the workflow system cannot be expressed, and hence such task cannot receive the task support at all.
Moreover, the workflow system has a second problem which will be described below. The workflow system assumes a practical use such that users properly execute their tasks without discriminating their own works from respective tasks of necessary task groups. Accordingly, the user interface for selecting a task of works from the task groups displays a task list on which tasks of works to be executed by the user are roughly selected, and it is sufficient for the user to properly select the task from the task list.
However, some of tasks to be supported by the task execution support system may have works which have to be executed depending upon the situation of the task relating to other users even though they are not previously determined such that they should be executed. Accordingly, it is frequently observed that the user executes the work, which is not previously registered, even though the work that the user has to execute is the task which is not registered on the task list. The user who will execute such work has to monitor the task other than relating tasks judged from the registered works.
However, when the number of tasks to be handled by the task execution support system increases, it is not efficient for each user to monitor the whole of the task. Moreover, a certain user has to search a task in which user's own work is not registered in advance but the user has to execute such work thereafter from the task entry managed by the task execution support system.
On the task list of the workflow system, there are displayed information such as a task definition and a starting day at every task entry. Therefore, if necessary, the user can see information on the displayed task list and select a necessary task. However, in general, it is not always possible for the user to effectively narrow the scope of the tasks based on the characteristics of the tasks such as the task definition and the starting day. Moreover, even though the tasks are characterized by such information, it is cumbersome for the user to search a task having predetermined characteristics from the task list when the number of tasks increases.
To obviate this drawback, it is considered that the task is searched based on the task property of each task. It is not always possible that task properties that can be used by the user to narrow a scope of tasks until the user finds out a desired task are set. Furthermore, even when there exist such task properties, it is very cumbersome for the user to understand the meanings of these task properties and to express effective search conditions which enable the user to search a desired task.